It is desirable to be able to predict failures and the life of a computer system, especially when the system is controlling a manufacturing process. Various operating parameters of computer systems are indicative of impending failures and system life. For example, high or low temperatures may indicate the imminent failure of a system component. The number of times the power is turned on and off can be a measure of system life.
Several attempts have been made to monitor computer system operating parameters. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,670 issued to Ward et al. shows a computer system manager for monitoring events and operating parameters including temperature and power. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,482 issued to Wiedenman et al. shows a computer system performance monitor which utilizes separate performance monitoring hardware units placed throughout a computer system and separate from the system CPU. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,056 issued to Barritz shows a computer event monitor which records events in an event log from which an output report can be generated.